Three international journalists asked to leave Bahrain

New
York, April 19, 2013--The Bahraini government ordered three journalists from the
British television network ITV to leave the country today, according to news
reports citing an ITV spokesman.
The journalists, who were also briefly detained on Thursday, are in the process
of leaving the country.

The
ITV crew was composed of correspondent Rageh Omaar, and a cameraman and
producer, who have not been identified, according to news reports. The
journalists were covering the political unrest in Bahrain that coincided with a
major Formula One race this coming weekend, the reports said.

An
ITV spokesman said in a statement on Thursday
that police stopped the crew from filming on Thursday and took them to a local
police station. She said the police held
"discussions" with them before saying they could continue to film. The
ITV journalists filed a story on the protests
later that day.

In
a statement today, the ITV spokesman
said the team was stopped again today and taken to a local police station,
where they were asked to leave the country. It was not clear as of Friday
afternoon if the journalists had left the country.

The
Bahrain News Agency, a state-run outlet, reported that three "foreign
journalists" had been deported because of what
was called a failure to acquire the proper licensing. But the ITV spokesman said the
journalists' trip had been "approved by the Bahraini authorities who issued
their visas."

The
Formula One race is controversial within Bahrain, with detractors claiming the
race should be canceled because of ongoing human rights violations in the
country. The race was canceled in 2011 during major unrest, but was held last
year despite widespread protests. CPJ documented at least 31
violations against the press last year as authorities attempted to suppress
coverage of unrest around the Formula One race. One team of journalists working for the U.K.'s Channel 4 News was arrested and
deported as part of the crackdown.

"Deporting
journalists is an odd way for the government to show Bahrain has turned the
corner with its human rights record," said CPJ Middle East and North Africa
Coordinator Sherif Mansour. "The government must allow journalists to conduct
their work freely, whether filming tire changes at the race track or tire
burnings in the villages."